Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre — Attraction in Salem

I'm a Salem resident and I am on a mission to tour all the local attractions.

About this one:

This is a review of the play "The Gallows Hill Main Show" and EDIT of the "Lost Museum" too (I have just visited the second attraction and added it to the review). As far as I know, these attractions are only open seasonally.

What it is - THE MAIN SHOW You'll seat in a small theater with a spooky-looking stage. The stage is actually pretty cool. The show will last, I think, a dozen of minutes or so (maybe 15) and will talk about legends and lore around witches and Salem. It is not going to be "scary", but it might be a bit too dark and loud for very small children (when we were there, there was a family with a young child, 3 years or so, and they left before the end of the show). There is 1 actor on stage, some effects (like strobes and smoke) and a voice over. The premises are great, I must say tough that you might leave the theater thinking that it should have been a bit longer and a bit more imaginative. Also, maybe more informative. Or with more of a story line.

PROs Unique - as far as I know there are not other attractions like this in Salem. Fun, especially if you are going with a group of friends. Spooky - being spooked is what the majority of people visiting Salem in October wants, and besides Scary Houses this is probably the only place where you would be spooked! (again, it is not really scary so don't worry 😊)

CONs It is a great idea and there are nice visual effects, but it lacks a bit of imagination, of a story line and it is slightly repetitive. No pictures allowed after the show begins.

What it is - THE LOST MUSEUM The Lost Museum is an interactive experience through a series of rooms, each one with a different theme, tied together by a backstory involving spirits, witches, cursed artifacts and so forth. A "guide" will guide you through the experience, which is in between an escape room (there are no riddles, but a couple of times you need to find the way out from the room by interacting with some of the objects) and a not-overly-scary scary house. It is not overly scary but there are some scares and jumps from objects, sounds, lights and videos (...and not only). The mechanical parts are very well thought and also the artistry of the rooms is quite nicely done.

PROs I truly enjoy the Lost Museum! It is fun, engaging, spooky, not repetitive and long enough.

CONs To do this attraction you should be ok navigating dark-ish rooms (not pitch dark), with small jumps and scares and with a bit of interaction. If not, between the two attractions offered at this location, you would probably enjoy the theater one better.

No pictures or...

I only selected one star because zero stars wasn't an option. Our guide was rude and demeaning to our entire group of 6. When asked to speak to the manager, the staff member reported she was the managers wife. We shared several instances where our tour guide was rude for example our guide asked us "can anyone find a string around that will open door" and one of our group members pulled the string and our guide said "Ya'll dont know how to listen huh, I'll kick you out right now". Not one time at the beginning or during the tour were we told not to touch anything and after being asked "can anyone find a string around to open a door" we thought it was an interactive tour. The managers wife went in to share our experience with the manager who came out and immediately said "I'll refund half of your money". He didn't ask us to share our experience with him and when I asked "can I share my experience with you" he said "the answer is still no" and turned around and walked away to refund half of the money. He assumed I was still going to ask to watch the main show (as there are 2 parts to gallows hill, the tour and the show). The manager was just as rude as our tour guide. He did not give us an opportunity to share our experience with him. He immediately cut me off when i was talking, he was not interested in anything our group had to say about his staff member who was very rude and made our entire tour everything but enjoyable. Not to mention the tour is mediocre at best for kids but not interesting for a group of six adults. Don't waste your money or time here.

Addendum post Gallows hill reply: Your employee lied about anyone not wearing a mask! 1 persons mask fell below their nose 1 time and the mask was immediately pulled up! You are absolutely correct in saying that the tour is video recorded but clearly you did not review it because stating masks were off "several times" is far from the truth! ALL six of us are in the medical field (Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants), we are very well aware of COVID-19 precautions as we have and continue to work through the pandemic at a level 1 hospital. I can assure you we will not be back and I encourage others to continue to share their experiences as we met a couple later in the evening who shared the same guide and had similar complaints in terms of...

Responding to the initial response posted by this establishment , which is actually full of twisted facts* :

“ I appreciate the prompt response to our shared concerns, however I wish this could have been rectified in the moment and not through an elaborate and detailed response full of lies to try and protect your establishment .

1. My wife received permission to use the bathroom that you express was a staff bathroom , my wife paid for a ticket and received permission to use a bathroom at your establishment. You guys refused her re-entry , and caused issues that could have been avoided.

Your ability to twist facts and justify your decision as a business is just ridiculous.

2. Inappropriate Language and disrespect is something that never occurred- however a disappointed guest venting to their wife about your decisions as an establishment , as we departed is what took place. You can paint the picture how you want, that’s not me , and thats not how I do business as a person .

3)You guys do not need to take accountability for your mishaps, after all, those who don’t take accountability and like to respond to your customers pointing fingers and making lies isn’t a good way to handle business. You guys can do better.

4. Your cute , little, waste of a money show is something we’ve been doing to kill time in Salem, can get tickets and walk right in, what does that tell you about that show ? A joke. But, with the lame customer service and comedic defense on an honest review , this show isn’t worth it.

Wishing your establishment many more years of success 😂😂”

— The boy standing at podium near rear left door between 2p-3p on Saturday 10/21 was rude while being completely inattentive to my question / request at the end of our show. We have revisited this establishment annually for past 4 years and have enjoyed our experience , however our recent experience that was displayed toward my family as we were preparing to depart was unacceptable today. We will no longer return , as my wife was refused reentry after an urgent matter, and our daughter was stuck in , having to exit the other side of building while finishing up the show...